


To Bless Our Hearts With Light

by quartzguts



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Cults, Emotional Manipulation, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Unhappy Ending, Unrequited Love, and lots of it!, everyone has a very very bad time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-06-25 00:25:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19734670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quartzguts/pseuds/quartzguts
Summary: It’s easier to blame the Master. Easier to say it was all his fault, easier to say that they didn’t know any better.They really didn’t.





	To Bless Our Hearts With Light

**Author's Note:**

> i have been working on this on and off for a month.... it is done. finally.
> 
> please heed the warnings. this fic is HEAVY on the cult aspect. the MoM emotionally manipulates the foretellers in this fic. it isn't fun. there is no happy ending here.
> 
> also, because i cannot be nice to chirithy apparently, warning for pseudo-animal death and cruelty.

\---

It’s easier to blame the Master.

As they stand there, the graves of thousands of children staring them down, silent accusations swirling through the hot desert air, it’s easier to blame the Master. Easier to say it was all his fault, easier to say that they didn’t know any better.

They really didn’t.

\---

Aced’s heart is pounding the first time he steps into the tower. He’s the first to be selected for apprenticeship, the first slot filled out of the available five, and he’s ecstatic. He’s already met the Master’s first apprentice, Luxu, who was quick to assure him he was just what the Master was looking for. Now, after travelling far from home to the Master’s illustrious Daybreak Town, he’s going to meet the man himself.

Getting here was such a whirl he barely remembers it. He’d taken part in the tests weeks ago, just like everyone else in his hometown. The results were kept secret for weeks, until his selection as the Master’s new apprentice was announced a few days ago. Now Aced is in Daybreak Town for the first time, ready to walk into an unknown future with all his belongings - some old clothes and not much else - in the shiny new bag Luxu had given him. Made of fine black leather and careful stitching, it feels too expensive for him.

He’s always been tall and broad-shouldered, but when the wide doors of the tower swing open and he steps inside, he’s sure he’s never felt smaller. Underlying his excitement is a current of uncertainty; what if the Master is disappointed in him? What if he gets kicked out?

What if he isn’t good enough?

The tower is empty, as far as he can see. The doors swing shut automatically behind him, but there are high windows letting in enough light that he doesn’t notice a difference. He stands in the doorway, unsure of what to do, until he hears steps hurrying towards him. He turns to face the sound, expecting to see Luxu. He comes face to face with the Master instead.

Well, relatively speaking. The man is wearing his hood.

“Hey, hey, you’re my new apprentice, huh? Nice to meet you!” The Master says, slapping a hand on Aced’s back. Aced’s brain breaks just a little bit. He hadn’t expected the Master to be so… well, so  _ casual _ .

“It’s an honor to meet you, Master,” he says hesitantly. “I hope I can live up to your expectations.”

“What do you mean, ‘hope’? You’ll do great, I know it!” The Master snatches Aced’s bag and swings it over his shoulder. “Come on, I’ll show you to your room.”

The Master keeps chattering on as they walk through the tower. He points out the various rooms and gives brief explanations for the experiments that seem to be strewn about everywhere. The tower’s in a fair bit of disarray, but Aced had expected that. Luxu had told him the Master made messes faster than he could clean.

They’re standing in front of a closed door before Aced realizes they’ve even stopped. The Master steps to the side. Aced gulps down his nervousness and opens it.

The room is simple, with a bed, desk, and set of drawers made of light colored wood. The window above the bed is slightly open, letting in a cool breeze. The Master follows him in.

“I know it’s pretty bare, but I figured I’d leave it for you to decorate. You seem like a capable guy,” the Master says, dropping Aced’s bag on the floor next to the desk. “So, about your apprenticeship -”

“I’ll do my best to live up to your expectations!” Aced says automatically.

The Master laughs as Aced’s ears burn. “I think you already said that. Come on, relax! You’ve already got the job.”

“Yes, Master. I’m sorry.”

“Lighten up! Geez, I feel like I’m talking to a robot.” The Master leans forward, as if to inspect him. “Hey, do I seem like I’d be a handsome guy under the hood?”

Aced sputters. “What -? I mean, why -”

“Eh, it’s nothing, I was just curious,” the Master says as he pushes back his hood.

The Master  _ is  _ handsome, but in a very unassuming, ordinary way. He seems like the kind of guy Aced would meet after work for a drink. He starts to relax a little.

“So, about your apprenticeship,” the Master says again, “I already have a good idea of your ability, so we’re gonna start working tomorrow. We’ll have lessons in the morning where we study theory, take a break for lunch, and after that we’ll do experimental work. If you get an idea to start your own project, talk to Luxu and he’ll give you whatever you need.”

“Wait, you’re letting me help with your work that quickly?” Aced asks, dumbstruck.

“Why not? You really exceeded my expectations in the exams,” the Master says, a pleasant smile on his face. “I’m surprised you weren’t already enrolled in one of the academies out west.”

The statement is just a casual observation, but Aced knows it’s also an opportunity to talk about himself. He takes it. “I started working right after standard schooling was over,” he says. “I needed to… to help my parents pay the bills.”

“Work, huh?”

“A restaurant in my hometown. I was a waiter.”

The Master sighs. “That’s such a shame. The fact that people with your talent end up wasting it on boring old jobs, I mean. Don’t you think the world should be different?”

Aced frowns. “In what way?”

“Oh, I dunno! People should have more opportunities. If there was less hardship, they’d be able to enjoy life more and use their free time for productive stuff, like creating art or doing research. That’s actually part of what we’re trying to do here in Daybreak Town. Make a perfect world.”

Aced’s head is reeling. “I’m sorry, Master, I’m not sure what you mean by a ‘perfect world.’”

The Master pushes off the desk, places a knee on the bed, and opens the window as far as it will go. “ _ This _ is what I mean, Aced. A world where everyone has enough money to live comfortably, where no one has to live in fear of war or crime, where people can reach their highest potential!”

Aced joins the Master and looks out on Daybreak Town. From high up, it looks picturesque. Bright purple rooftops cover up quaint little houses, people walk around seemingly without a care in the world, and there isn’t any trash to be seen. So different from his hometown. From so far up, it really does look like a perfect world.

The Master’s words make a lot of sense, although they’re hard to wrap his head around at first. A world where people like him didn’t have to stop their education because of lack of funds? Where the advancement of culture and science could come at a rapid pace? It seems like a dream.

Aced looks over at the Master, smiling down upon the world of his creation. “Are you sure I’m the right person to help you with this, Master?” he asks.

The Master looks at him and grins. “Aced, I have the utmost confidence in you. We can do this together.”

“Alright,” Aced says. “How are we going to make the world perfect?”

The Master’s smile changes into something more mischievous. He cups a hand in front of him and the light of the room begins to gather there, shaping itself into a little star. “With this,” he says, and Aced understands.

\---

The Master picks his third apprentice a month after the second was chosen. Ira isn’t sure what he expected Aced to be like, but he’s a little dumbstruck the first time he meets him. Some of it might be because he’s also just met the Master, but a lot of it has to do with the fact that Aced is just so  _ handsome _ . Ira finds himself staring one too many times, and although he doesn’t think Aced notices he knows the Master does. He thought he’d get reprimanded for having an inappropriate attraction to his - classmate? Coworker? - but instead he just gets a pat on the back and a quick “good luck.”

Luck is probably what he needs. He doesn’t think Aced is too far out of his league, necessarily, but he doesn’t seem happy about the Master getting another apprentice. He had announced when the exams started two months ago that he was looking to take on at least five, but Aced has had the Master to himself for a month now. He must be jealous at suddenly having to share his attention.

The truth is, Ira is jealous, too. Aced was chosen first, and that probably means his results were more impressive. Ira wants to see more of Aced’s work, wants to see what he has that Ira lacks. Which is why he offers to help him go over his work one night. Mostly.

“We’ll be up for a while,” Aced says as he drops a pile of papers on Ira’s bed. “Hope you’re up for it.”

“I’ll be fine,” Ira replies smoothly, although his heart is pounding. “What should we work on first?”

Aced glances over the papers and grabs a stack from the top, neatly held together with a paper clip. “This observational data is useless until it’s organized. Do you think you could work out a categorical system for it?”

“I’ll do my best,” Ira says as he takes the stack. He almost passes out when Aced locks eyes with him before looking away.

He only barely manages to stay focused throughout the night.

\---

“Well, they’re finished,” the Master says as he comes into the room. Ira and Aced sit up immediately, eager to see their new uniforms.

The outfits are wrapped carefully in little bundles, with the cloak on the outside concealing the rest. They aren’t what they were expecting.

“Master, I don’t understand,” Aced says as he picks up the white bundle. “Why don’t we get to wear the same coats as you and Luxu?” Ira is similarly disappointed, but he doesn’t say anything.

“Come on, these old things? Why would you wanna wear something so boring?” the Master says. “These took me ages to design and sew! That white one is Ira’s, by the way.”

Aced tosses the bundle over to him, and Ira catches it easily. He looks it over, feeling the fabric carefully. It’s lighter than it looks, with soft, breathable fabric - one of the Master’s creations, no doubt. It’s adorned with yellow and purple detail. Folded inside is a light blue robe with white pants and white boots. It’s pretty much the exact opposite of the Master’s black leather ensemble, but Ira is growing more enamoured with it by the second.

Aced grumbles something about wanting to match with Luxu, but takes his bundle anyway and goes to the other side of the room to examine it. The Master comes over to Ira and leans against the table, eagerly waiting for his verdict on the design.

“So?” he asks excitedly. “You like it?”

“It’s lovely, Master,” Ira says, looking over the cloak again. “Thank you.”

“Man, that’s a relief,” the Master says. “I was worried you’d hate them. Glad I followed my instinct. White suits you.”

Ira hums as he flips the cloak in his hands again and lets the tassels drag over his palm. “I am a bit curious as to why we need these, though. Won’t dressing like this separate us from the people in town?”

“Well, yeah, that’s kind of the point,” the Master says. “You guys are helping me achieve our dream. The people need to know that they can look to you for guidance. Fancy robes will help with that. The masks will, too.”

“...wait, masks?” Ira asks. “I don’t see a mask here.”

“They’re not done yet. You’ll see.”

Ira frowns a little, but decides to push the ominous remark to the back of his mind. He shrugs off the coat he’s been wearing and pulls the cloak around his shoulders. It’s comfortable and light, as he expected, and the hood has little hooks on it - maybe to attach to the mask.

“Master,” Ira says, deciding to bring up the issue that’s been troubling him for the past few days, “why don’t we get news from the other cities?”

The Master cocks his head to the side, putting on an innocent smile. It’s impossible for Ira to tell if he knows what he’s really asking. “Why should we? The last thing we need here is for the principles of other places to interfere with what we’re teaching everybody.”

That… isn’t really an answer. News couldn’t possibly be that dangerous. “Yes, I know,” Ira says anyway. “Darkness lives everywhere except Daybreak Town, and we can’t risk letting it corrupt this place. But should we really be keeping knowledge of the outside world from everyone?”

“You sure you don’t just want news from home?” the Master teases.

“I barely remember home. What’s happening here is more important to me.”

The Master kicks his legs a little. “I guess you’re right. Knowledge is never a bad thing.” He jumps down from the table and swings an arm around Ira’s shoulders. “Sure, why not? I still get news reports from other places. I’ll start going through them and selecting stuff that’s safe to share.”

Ira smiles, both pleased that the Master approved of his idea and relieved that his reasons for withholding news weren’t as dubious as he’d thought. If they were, he wouldn’t have agreed to stop so easily.

Ira’s still not really sure of his place here. The Master alternatively scolds him for his shortcomings and heaps praise for his growth. Aced told him he was treated the same way when he came to the tower; it’s the Master’s special teaching method, meant to call attention to their mistakes while boosting their self confidence. It’s not any teaching style that Ira’s ever heard of, but then again the Master is special. He has so many great ideas, and much more insight and knowledge than any other teacher Ira’s had. It’s only natural that he’s found a better way to do things. The proof lies in their achievements; Luxu, Aced, and Ira are all miles above their peers in the western academies.

“Hey, Ira,” the Master says, speaking low. “Can I talk to you about something important? You can’t tell anyone, not even Luxu or Aced.”

“What?” Ira says, startled. “I mean, yes, of course, Master. What is it?”

The Master glances over at Aced, who has cast away modesty and is changing into his robes on the other side of the room. Ira would be drooling if he wasn’t already used to it.

The Master looks back to him and draws him closer so Ira can see his face under the hood. “All of this isn’t just to make the world better. The heart of our world is in danger.”

“... _ what _ ?” Ira gasps in disbelief. “Kingdom Hearts is -?!”

“Like I said, keep it quiet. I don’t want to alarm anyone.” The Master looks to Aced again to confirm he isn’t listening in; he’s too busy struggling with the clasps on his cloak to care what they’re talking about. “Darkness is spreading more quickly than I originally thought. We’ll have to take action soon.”

“Tell me what you need me to do, Master,” Ira says.

The Master smiles kindly. There’s a heavy, burdened look in his eye. “Don’t get so worked up! We still have time. We need more hands on deck, so I’ve already selected our next member. I need you to give her - and the rest of them - guidance.”

“Me,” Ira says disbelievingly. “Master, I’m not sure I know what you’re asking of me.”

“Ira, Ira, Ira,” the Master chides. “Don't you get it yet? You’re a natural born leader. Having me in charge is all fine in theory, but I’m the  _ Master _ . The others will need someone to go to when they feel like they can’t talk to me, and that person has to be you. It’s easy for darkness to plant doubts in people’s hearts, and the more we work against it, the more it’ll target us. You need to make sure they can talk about uncomfortable things, and keep walking the path of light.”

“I understand, Master,” Ira says, heart pounding. “But are you sure I’m the one to do this?”

“Ira,” the Master says, pulling away, his face covered by his hood again, “you’re the only one for this.”

Ira stays where he is as the Master turns to Aced and says “hey, need some help with that?” The Master has just placed a massive amount of trust in him. He has to be the one to make sure they keep moving forward; he has to be the one the others can count on and trust.

He changes into the rest of his robes. He knows where he stands now.

\---

With the new apprentice around, Aced barely has any time alone with his boyfriend, so he makes sure to savor moments like this.

They’re kissing as they stumble down the hallway. It’s thrilling, to be out in the open like this, barely able to keep their hands to themselves. Aced wouldn’t care if Ira shoved him against the wall and they just stayed there until they were finished, but Ira’s too shy for that. He’s only brave enough to kiss in the hallway right now because they know for a fact that Invi and Luxu are still out training with the Master. They’re the only ones in the tower. They can take all the time they need getting someplace private.

“Your room or mine?” Aced murmurs against Ira’s lips.

Ira, always one for unnecessarily detailed answers to simple questions, pulls away to catch his breath. “The lock on my door is broken,” he says. “And Invi might come by later, so your room is -”

Aced cuts him off with another kiss. He tries to drown out the jealousy rising in his chest with the soft sounds Ira is making. He loves Invi just the same as all of them, but he’s noticed the way she clings to Ira. It’s subtle, and Ira might not notice, but there’s a special bond that is shared between two people who love the same person. Aced feels for Invi, but at the same time he can’t stand Ira innocently bringing her up in every conversation they have.

Ira thinks of her as a friend. Maybe even a sister. She’s important to him, and Aced can respect that. He’s just tired of always talking about her when he’d rather not be talking at all.

Meanwhile, Invi stands completely still in a perpendicular corridor, pressing flat against the wall. The Master had sent her inside to fetch a few things he’d forgotten in his study; she’d heard Ira and Aced’s voices and decided to ask if they wanted to come down for more training. And then she’d seen them. Kissing.

She isn’t jealous, strangely enough. Instead she just feels light headed at the sight of the object of her affections so out of sorts. Aced is a lucky man, to get to see that whenever he wants.

Besides that, knowing Ira can still spare her a thought while he’s kissing his boyfriend makes her strangely happy. She still means something to him, even if it’s not what she’d prefer.

She returns to the training grounds with a quiet smile on her face. Later, she thinks about how contrary Ira and Aced’s ideals are and asks Kingdom Hearts to ensure their match will be successful.

\---

Invi’s always been more studious than most. She spends most of her time reading and rereading their textbooks, furiously taking notes, reorganizing those notes, and then rereading the textbook again. Even Ira can’t match her study habits; he always gets burned out about two hours in.

She’s alright with that. She gets to look at his cute tired face, and bask in the sweet satisfaction of being better than him at something.

The Master is pleased with her ability too, although he sometimes reprimands her for it, like he’s doing now. They’re all together, her and Aced and Ira and the Master, sitting around in the tower’s private courtyard. Invi has one of her books out and is taking advantage of the nice weather to study outside.

“All I’m saying is you could be a little more, I don’t know, relaxed,” the Master says. “Seriously, you’re taught as a bowstring right now. Have you ever tried just doing nothing?”

Invi purses her lips. “I’d rather keep up with my studies, Master.”

The Master sighs dramatically and plants a hand in her violet hair, ruffling it around. “Honestly, what am I gonna do with you….”

Invi smiles and goes back to her book, knowing she’s won this round. The Master turns to Ira and Aced and waves them over to sit next to them on the soft grass.

Invi scoots around so that she’s facing Ira. They sit in a little circle, with Aced to her left and the Master to her right. The Master stretches and pulls down his hood, yanking down the zipper of his coat for good measure.

“Alright,” he says. “Today I’m going to teach you guys a lesson about light and darkness.”

They all sit up eagerly. These tend to be the most interesting lessons, since the principles of light are what form the basis of their world. The information they’ve been given about Kingdom Hearts is limited at best, but they all know it’s the source of all light and happiness in the world, while the darkness that tries to destroy it is the source of all anger and despair.

The Master holds out his hand and a sparkle of purple light shines in his palm. The light gets brighter and brighter, until it slowly forms a little blob-like creature. It has ears and a tail, but no legs, and it just flops around in the Master’s palm.

“What is that thing?” Aced asks, clearly unimpressed.

“Don’t be mean, it’s just a prototype,” the Master says, tossing the creature up in the air and catching it. “It’s a little creation of mine. It’s made out of pure light.”

“Wow,” Invi breathes. She leans in a little to take a closer look. It’s pale gray, with blackish ears and thin blue lines for eyes. It looks almost like a kitten as it wiggles around in the Master’s hand.

“As a creature of light, this little guy is right at home in our world,” the Master says. “It’s pretty young right now, but what do you guys think it’ll be like when it gets older?”

“As a being of pure light, it will be good natured and kind,” Invi says automatically. “It will spread the teachings of light and live peacefully.”

“Pretty good...” the Master says easily. He draws his other hand up and the light begins to flicker about it oddly. “...but that’s only half the story. The world isn’t such a wonderful place yet. There’s still darkness out there. And if that darkness gets even one foot in the door, even a being of pure light…”

He pokes the little creature with the bit of darkness he’s summoned. It begins to keen as its body convulses. Threads of purple and red start to streak around its head. A little black hole forms where its face was, sucking in all the light around it. Invi instinctively reaches out towards it, but it’s too late.

The creature heaves over and dies.

“...you mean that,” Aced breathes, “could happen to Kingdom Hearts?”

“Yes,” the Master says. “Lesson over. Go back to enjoying your day.”

Aced and Ira get up slowly and walk off together, grabbing each others’ arms for support. The Master tips his hand. The corpse slides out of it and falls onto the dirt with a quiet thud.

“Master,” Invi whispers. “Why did you show us that?”

“It was necessary,” the Master says. “Invi, you know I trust you. But you’re so obsessed with learning I’m afraid you might get up and leave one day, pursue knowledge elsewhere.”

“There’s no better place to learn than here, Master,” Invi says, but her voice is monotonous, and she’s still looking at the dead thing in front of her.

“Even my library is limited, Invi,” the Master says. He takes the hand that once held the creature and places it lightly on her shoulder. She regrets choosing to wear a sleeveless blouse that morning; his glove is cold. “With your pace, you’ll blow through it in no time, and then you’ll leave. I’ve seen your record. That’s what you’ve done at your last two academies.”

That doesn’t seem right. “I….”

“Invi,” the Master says. “I showed you this because you needed to know why it’s so important that you stay. Darkness is approaching.  _ This  _ is what happens to Kingdom Hearts if we fail.  _ This _ is what happens to the world if we don’t keep the light alive.”

He leans in to murmur in her ear. His regular smile looks off. “This is what happens if you leave.”

Invi turns to him, tearing her eyes away from the corpse. “Am I really that necessary…?”

“Of course you are. You all are. I need five for a reason. Our total number needs to be seven; right now it’s me, Luxu, Aced, Ira, and…”

“...and me,” Invi finishes. “Yes. I understand, Master. I will not fail my duty.”

The Master smiles, and it’s happy again. “Good. I really am sorry I had to show you that. It was unpleasant for me, too.” He stands, and extends a hand to Invi. “How about I make up for it by giving you your present a little early?”

Invi is about to ask  _ what present, my birthday isn’t for another three months _ , but then she realizes. She takes the Master’s hand and gets up as quickly as she can on wobbly legs. “My mask is ready…?”

She wasn’t being particularly loud, but Ira and Aced were eavesdropping out of concern, it seems. They’re over again in a heartbeat.

“I’m the unicorn, and Aced is the bear,” Ira mutters shakily under his breath, “so Invi must be….”

“There’s a lot more animals in the world than just unicorns and bears, Ira,” Aced tries to tease, but his words fall flat. They’re all still shaken from what just happened - the Master, too, from the look of it - but they push it to the back of their minds for now.

The Master summons another sphere of light, sparkling pale blue and yellow, but this time when it fades instead of a cat there’s a white and violet mask in its place, perfectly carved and painted. He holds it out to Invi.

She takes it and raises it to her face gingerly. The slits for her eyes are separated by the nose; she can see Ira through one slit and Aced through the other. As if they’re separated by an invisible wall.

“The snake,” the Master says.

\---

The Master picks his final two apprentices one right after the other. Gula is welcomed into the tower with open arms, and Ava arrives shortly thereafter. Everyone immediately notices the way Gula’s eyes follow Ava around the room, the way he watches her when she laughs, the way his gaze catches on her lips. Everyone except Ava, it seems, who is innocently cruel enough to invite Gula on “study dates” - except they aren’t actually dates.

Gula ends up staring, as always. Ava has two textbooks open, and is looking between them at a rapid pace, cross referencing data and theory. He gulps down his bottle of water, trying to get rid of the dryness in his throat, and goes back to reading his own book. The words swim around on the page and he looks back to Ava within a few minutes.

This time she catches him. She brushes some of her red hair behind her ear and frowns. “Is something wrong, Gula? You’re distracted.”

“Yeah - I mean, no, I,” he stutters, quickly looking back to his book. “I’m just having trouble focusing. There’s too much fluff in this chapter, I feel like my head is going to explode.

Ava leans over, close enough that he can smell her perfume. “Oh, I remember this one. It’s really tough. Do you want my notes?”

“Yeah,” Gula says lamely. Ava turns around and rummages through her backpack, looking for the appropriate folder.

Gula takes the moment of reprieve to relax. He doesn’t know how Ira and Aced manage studying together. He can barely focus when he’s with Ava, but he always ends up saying yes when she asks to study with him anyway. He wishes, not for the first time, that he could study with someone else.

Unfortunately, he’s just as bad with Ira and Aced, because he ends up watching them brush hands or lean up against each other and imagines him and Ava doing the same thing. He thinks he might have a better time if Invi would join them, but she insists on studying alone, so he’s out of luck.

“Here you go,” Ava says, handing over a pink folder with glittery stickers all over it. Her notes are haphazard as always, with quick little hearts drawn over the ‘i’s.

“Thanks,” he says, and gets lost in her script, not remembering a thing he reads.

\---

Gula ends up pacing around his room for a few hours one night. He doesn’t mean to. It just happens. He stares at the floor beneath his feet, then at the walls of his room, then out the window at the wide expanse of Daybreak Town. He watches people walk around, their figures appearing like whisps of shadow under the hazy sky, then turns back to his room and paces again. There’s a thought gnawing at the back of his mind, latched onto his brain stem like some kind of parasite. He can’t shake it loose, but he can’t ignore it either, so he’s stuck with it. Think. Pace. Look. Repeat. For hours.

He’s in the middle of the thinking part when someone knocks on his door.

Gula freezes. He hesitates to answer the door out of habit; he grew up in a pretty bad neighborhood, so he’s always weary about opening the door without checking to see who it is first. There’s no peep hole on their bedroom doors, though, so he takes a deep breath and opens up.

Gula relaxes. There was no need for alarm. It’s only Ira.

“May I come in?” Ira asks, and Gula steps away from the door as an answer.

Ira walks in and does his best not to be obvious about looking around. Gula is very private, and the other apprentices are a bit too nosy for his tastes. That’s mainly why he prefers Ira and Luxu, since both of them are willing to respect his privacy. Of course, he prefers Ava over either of them, but she’s the most friendly out of all of them, and that makes him as uncomfortable as it does happy.

Gula rubs his eyes, hard. “Did you need something?” he asks.

“Yes. I wanted to talk to you. Can we sit?”

Gula shuts the door and plops down on his bed, motioning for Ira to join him. He does, and they sit quietly for a moment.

Ira clears his throat. “I noticed that something was bothering you today.”

“Oh. That.” Gula swallows hard and folds his hands into fists. He doesn’t particularly like talking about his feelings, but Ira is easy to talk to, and he feels like he’ll burst if he holds it in any longer. The temperature in the room seems to drop a few degrees, but Gula knows it’s only the night air rolling in through the open window.

“You can tell me, Gula,” Ira says gently.

“Even if it’s something I wouldn’t tell the Master?” Gula says.

Ira smiles. “Especially if it’s something like that.”

“Alright. It’s just… what the Master’s been teaching us,” Gula says slowly. He knows what he’s about to say is going to look bad, but now that he’s going he can’t stop the words from spilling out of his mouth. “He’s been giving us all this information about light and darkness and Kingdom Hearts, but where’s his evidence? Most of what he teaches us on the subject isn’t even in our books. How do we know he isn’t…”

“Lying?” Ira asks.

Gula panics. “No, of course not! He would never  _ lie  _ to us. I just wonder… what if… he’s  _ wrong _ ?”

Ira places a hand on his arm. The action strikes Gula as strange. Ira never touches him casually. “Gula, if that’s what you’re worried about, we should go ask the Master.”

“We can’t,” Gula says instantly. “ _ I _ can’t.”

“Why not?” Ira gets up and tugs on Gula’s arm, trying to get him to stand, too. “I know you’re ]still intimidated by him since you haven’t been here long, but he’s really not that scary. I’m sure he’ll answer whatever questions you have. You just have to ask.”

“Ira, I need this,” Gula says. “I can’t go back to - back where I used to be! If he kicks me out, I’ll -”

“It’s alright, Gula,” Ira says. “Just come with me. We’ll ask the Master. It’ll all be alright.”

“...okay.”

They walk through the tower’s halls in silence. As they approach the Master’s study - a large room with a grand circular table that they often sit at for lessons - Gula feels more and more apprehensive. He sort of wants to run, since he’s never been the confrontational type, but Ira’s still holding his arm and he knows he won’t be able to break free of his grip. He can hear the others’ voices in the room. Their tones are casual, so he knows they aren’t having an impromptu lesson. Ira pushes the door open confidently and leads Gula inside.

Ava is sitting closest to the door. She perks up when they enter. “Hi, Ira! Hi, Gula!”

Gula’s heart leaps at the sound of his name coming from her lips. “Hi.”

Ira doesn’t waste time with pleasantries. “Master, Gula would like to ask you something.”

The Master looks up from the book he’s sharing with Aced with an unreadable expression on his face. “Sure thing. What is it?”

Ira looks to Gula without saying anything else, so Gula takes a deep breath and steps forward. “I was just wondering, Master, where do you get all your data?”

“Whaddya mean?”

“All the things you tell us about light and darkness,” Gula continues, and he can’t stop even though Ava, Invi, and Aced are looking at him strangely. “You never tell us how you know those things, and only give us answers in absolutes. So I was thinking, what if - how do we know that darkness is really… evil…?”

The Master looks at him for so long that Gula starts squirming. Then he turns to Ira and says “thank you for bringing him here.” Ira bows his head.

The Master stands and comes around the table. Gula hasn’t been reprimanded in a while and he’s sure that’s what’s about to happen until the Master rests his hands on his shoulders.

“I respect your desire for the truth,” the Master says gently, “and I know some of the stuff I say can be hard to wrap your head around. It’s only natural that you would have doubts. In fact, I’m sure all of you do.”

Gula nods, only taking his eyes off the Master for a brief moment to look at everyone else. They’re all stock still, exactly where they were when Gula had started speaking.

“I want to tell you how I learned everything I know, but I’m afraid it would take too long, and you wouldn’t be able to understand most of it anyway,” the Master continues. “You just need to trust me. Do you trust me?”

“Yes, Master,” Gula says immediately.

“Good. I know you didn’t mean anything by it, but what you just said - voicing doubts about the light - is exactly the type of thing that invites darkness into a heart. You can’t risk saying such things again. You can’t even risk thinking them. Believe me when I say giving your heart to darkness is the worst thing you could do.”

“He’s right,” Invi murmurs. “Gula, you weren’t here when….”

The Master waits until it’s clear Invi isn’t going to continue, then he turns back to Gula and rubs soothing circles into his shoulders with his thumbs. “I’m going to teach you all a way to patch up this human weakness. Okay?”

Gula shudders. He’s still a little unsure, but he trusts the Master and on top of that he’s never heard Invi sound so scared. He nods again.

The Master drops one hand and turns to face all of them. “Whenever you catch yourself beginning to doubt the light, I want you to repeat this to yourselves. It’ll remind you of what’s important, and what’s not. It’ll help you remember that the only path we can take is the path of light, and that you cannot let yourselves be led astray. Repeat after me:

_ may my heart be my guiding key _ .”

\---

Invi is gardening again. She likes to make the tower pretty, so she’s often up early in the morning watering and trimming her plants. They add a little life to the tower, she says. A little color. Everyone helps her now and then, even the Master, with caring for her flowers.

Ava wants to ask if she can help right now, but she’s having trouble finding the words.

Invi just looks so pretty in the faint light of dawn, her deep violet hair tucked behind her ear. She looks so peaceful, like a painting, and Ava feels like she mustn’t disturb her.

Especially when she wipes the sweat off of her brow and sighs. And arches her back to stretch. Then Ava’s mouth goes dry and she feels like she  _ really  _ shouldn’t disturb her.

She knows that her little crush is hopeless, since Invi likes Ira. Ava’s only noticed because of how much she watches her; Invi is always hanging close to Ira, asking for his input, looking to him first for validation and advice whenever the Master isn’t around to provide those things. Ava can tell that it isn’t a passing infatuation; Invi’s in love, same as she is. So it’s very unlikely that Invi will stop looking at Ira and start looking at her.

She can hope, though. So she draws up her courage and goes to talk to her.

Invi sees her before she has a chance to speak. “Ava,” she says. “What are you doing up so early?”

“I was wondering if you wanted some help,” she squeaks. Invi seems to notice the odd tone, but doesn’t say anything.

“Of course,” she says, sliding a pair of clippers out of her apron. “Could you cut back the rose bushes in the middle garden? Only the yellow ones. The pink ones are doing fine.”

“Sure!” Ava brushes their fingers together as she takes the clippers, hoping it looks natural. “I’ll see you when I’m done.”

Invi smiles. Ava walks away happy.

\---

“So,” the Master says casually as he cleans up the experiment he’d had them all observing, “I noticed there was a dark presence in the tower this morning. Would you like to explain, Ava?”

She freezes. All eyes are on her instantly, wide and confused. The light in the lab is orange and red, the same as the sunset sky visible through the windows. Ava shifts from foot to foot, looks down, looks back up, and clears her throat.

“I’m sorry, Master,” she says. “There was a heartless wandering around the town today so I brought it back here.”

“Oh! That makes sense,” the Master says. He keeps putting away his equipment without looking at her. The clink of glass against glass echoes in the room as one test tube strikes another. Ava winces. "So you brought it in for me to analyze it, right?"

"Um."

"In that case, where is it? I'd like to get started right away. If we let it live much longer it'll start to spread darkness." He pauses to look up at her. She can just make out his cold blue eyes under his hood. "Or have you already gotten rid of it?"

"I - yes, Master, I got rid of it. Please don't worry." Ava’s breaths are coming in short, and she forces herself to draw them out longer in a feeble attempt to calm the pounding of her heart.

Invi steps forward, looking concerned. She places a hand on Ava’s shoulder. “Ava, are you alright?”

“Yes, Invi, thank you.” The feeling of Invi’s hand on her through her thin shirt has her brain somewhere confused and muddy, like she’s soaring through storm clouds. The Master has stopped putting his equipment away and is now blatantly staring, head cocked to the side in thought.

“You sure?” he says. “You’re not  _ lying _ to me, are you?”

“No!” Ava says, bringing her hands up defensively over her chest. She unintentionally dislodges Invi’s hand in the process. “I  _ did  _ get rid of it. I just… let it go. That’s all.”

She doesn’t look at the others. She can imagine their expressions, and she doesn’t resent them for it. They all know how dangerous heartless are; they spread darkness, threaten Kingdom Hearts, and if they had the opportunity, they would overrun Daybreak Town and stamp out all the light that sustains the world. But when she’d seen the little thing - the first heartless she’d ever seen outside of the Master’s lab - it hadn’t seemed quite so dangerous. It just looked like a little lost dog, happy to slurp up the rest of her lunch and follow her back to the tower. Eager to learn tricks, snuggle up to her, and receive pets and treats as a reward for good behavior. After she’d spent a few days with it, careful to keep it in her room, she’d taken it out to the forest behind the town and instructed it to run away before anyone found it.

It was foolish, she knew. That little heartless could destroy the world some day. But she just couldn’t bring herself to kill something so  _ cute _ .

The Master sighs, his head hanging low. “Ava," he says in his I’m-very-disappointed-in-you-tone, “you know better than to do something so reckless.”

“Yes, Master.”

“And you know that you put everyone else here in danger.”

“...yes, Master.”

The Master leans back against his desk, folds his arms, and fixes her with that patient gaze of his. She relaxes immediately, although there’s still a hint of panic swirling in her gut. “Please explain yourself,” the Master says plainly.

She takes a seat. The others do, too. This is a common ritual for them. Whenever someone messes up, they all gather around and listen, provide insight, and learn from each other’s failures. All the while, the Master provides his own insights and advice. It seems that Ava messes up more often than the rest of them, but Aced assured her once that it was just because she hadn’t been with the Master as long. She’d learn.

She’ll learn right now.

She tells them everything. She tells them how the heartless just seemed to be a harmless little dog, how it didn’t appear aggressive, how it just wanted someone to play with for a while. She tells them how she kept it in the tower, made sure to keep it away from other people, and then released it far from the town and made sure it ran off into the wilderness.

“Seems to me like you’re just projecting your own feelings onto this heartless,” the Master says. “They don’t have the ability to feel or get attached to people. It was just after your heart.”

“Yes, I agree,” Ira says. “Ava, that was foolish of you. You know better.”

“But it really didn’t seem like that much of a threat….” she says, feeling small.

“They don’t have to seem like a threat,” Aced says. “Heartless are creatures of darkness. They only want to destroy and corrupt the light. You betrayed all of us by bringing one here.”

Ava looks down at her hands, tightly woven together in her lap, and forces back tears. They’re right, she knows that. She  _ should  _ know better, having been with the Master for well over a year now. How long will she remain so naive? How long will it take her to reach the level the others are on?

The Master clears his throat. She looks up again. His hood is down, and he’s smiling.

“Ava, I’m proud of you. It takes a lot of strength to be honest about difficult things. I know you’ll learn from this.”

The self doubt ebbs away. Ava smiles wide, the tears in her eyes feeling stupid and unnecessary. The Master’s confidence in her ability is why she’s here. The Master’s belief in her is why she knows she can do better, even if she’s inadequate now. There’s still a deep seated uncomfortable feeling in her gut, but she stamps it down, hard.

Gula reaches over and places a hand over her own. “Thanks for being honest with us,” he says.

Ira, Aced, and Invi follow suit. Ava blushes when Invi smiles prettily as she gives her thanks.

“Alright!” the Master says, pushing off of his desk with a dramatic flair. “That was a pretty good impromptu lesson, in my humble opinion. Let’s go get dinner, shall we? My treat.”

“Sounds good to me,” Aced says, standing up. “Is Luxu coming?”

The Master pulls his hood back up and grabs his bag off the floor. “Nah, he’s busy with a little pet project I dumped on him. I’ll bring some back for him later.”

Ava spends the rest of the evening in the comforting presence of friends. She’s ashamed to find that she can’t shake the feeling she did nothing wrong.

\---

Luxu watches his fellow apprentices train far below the yard and throws a quick “you’re pretty cruel to them, aren’t you?” back at the Master.

The Master pauses for a moment, looking at him over the dissected heartless pinned to the lab table, and laughs. “Why, my darling Luxu, I have no idea what you mean.”

“Sure,” Luxu says, looking back to the window. “I was wondering why they haven’t noticed, but I guess you’re just that good, huh?”

“You know, it’s impolite to just keep talking without explaining yourself!”

“Maybe the reason I’m the only one who notices is because I  _ know  _ you,” he continues, ignoring the Master’s quiet mumblings about his rudeness. “I wonder if I’ll ever be that good at manipulating people. Although you also  _ made  _ them, so I guess they’d just naturally believe you....”

“I’m not  _ manipulating  _ them,” the Master says lightly, digging a scalpel into the heartless’s gooey black organs. “I’m simply giving them what they need.”

Luxu turns around fully, dropping his hood so the Master can see his unimpressed expression. “Is that what you’re doing?” he asks.

“Of course! That’s what I’m doing for all of them! The people of this town need a sense of clarity. They need the truth, and that’s what I’m giving them. I’m giving them eternal safety, eternal light, eternal happiness! Everyone will have their happy ever after in my Daybreak Town.”

Luxu walks over to the table and leans over the heartless. It’s still alive, and squirming around the metal pins holding it down. It’s not resisting, though. The Master had asked it politely if he could examine it, and offered it its pick of any kid in town as payment. Luxu doesn’t doubt for a second that the Master will keep his end of the deal.

He pokes at the heartless’s cheek. “Everyone except all those kids who’ll get lost to darkness, right?”

“Well, yeah. An unfortunate sacrifice,” the Master says, raising a goo covered finger to his mouth for a lick. “The future comes before everything.”

“Except us.”

“Nope, I’m afraid you’re not -”

Luxu grabs the Master, whirls him around, and traps him against the table. “You can lie to them, but not to me. I know you, remember?” He leans in close, just barely brushing their lips together. “The future comes before everything except…”

The Master sighs, the sound a mix between happy and wistful. “Except you, Luxu. Only you.”

Luxu frowns, disappointed, but kisses him anyway.

\---


End file.
